A government-formed wage board today recommended Tk 5,300 as minimum monthly salary for readymade garment workers, up from existing Tk 3,000.
Garment factory owners, who proposed it to be Tk 4,250, rejected the recommendation.
After the board’s ninth meeting, AK Roy, chairman of the board formed to set the wage structure, told reporters the owners’ representatives however rejected the new pay scale while the workers’ representatives accepted it.
Of the amount, Tk 3,200 has been shown as basic, Tk 1,280 as house rent, Tk 320 and Tk 200 as medical and transport allowances and Tk 300 as food subsidy.
“Now the draft will be sent to Bangladesh Government (BG) Press for gazette notification to finalise the wage structure,” said the chairman.
The wage scale possesses seven grades like the current one and the workers will enjoy salary hike proportionately after the changes of grades, he said.
Failed to reach consensus during hours long meeting, the board chairman threw the decision on vote.
Four members including an independent one voted for Tk 5,300 per month salary while the two owners’ representatives refrained from voting, meaning they rejected the fresh hike decision.
The decision was taken during the ninth meeting at the board’s Topkhana Road office.
The government formed the board on June 13 and published gazette of the board on June 26 for finalising the salary of the garment workers.
On October 31, the garment owners proposed a minimum wage of Tk 4,250 per month while the workers’ representative was bargaining for a minimum salary of Tk 8,114 per month.
Source: The Daily Star
